BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Reductions to tuition assistance announced last week by the Department of the Air Force will not impact Reserve Citizen Airmen this fiscal year.
The decrease in the military tuition assistance program (MilTA) from $4,500 to $3,750, affects only active-duty Airman. The $250 per semester hour and $166.66 per quarter hour allotment for Reserve Citizen Airmen will remain the same.
“The Air Force Reserve has continuously utilized funds requested for tuition assistance program and that’s why we were able to keep our annual cap,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Simmons, who manages the tuition assistance program at the 307th Force Support Squadron.
Two tuition assistance programs, MilTA and Reserve tuition assistance programs (ResTA), are available to AF Reservists. While MilTA currently has a cap of $3,750, any combined use of the programs by Reservist keeps a $4,500 cap.
“The difference is qualifications for each of them”, Simmons said. “When using Reserve Military TA, Airmen don’t have to be in active duty status to utilize funds.”
The requirements and application process for receiving tuition assistance will remain the same through the updated Virtual Education Center online platform. Simmons said future tuition assistance budgets may be dependent on how well the funds are utilized and encouraged 307th Bomb Wing members to learn more.
“There are still a lot of people here who perhaps don’t fully understand their tuition benefits”, he said.
The 307th Bomb Wing Training and Education team offers quarterly briefings to provide Reserve Airmen with information on both tuition assistance programs, Post 9-11 and Montgomery G.I. Bills, college-level examination programs (CLEP), and Defense Activity for Non-traditional Education Support (DANTES) programs. For more information and briefing schedules, visit their SharePoint site at https://afrc.eim.us.af.mil/sites/307BW/307MSG/FSS/SitePages/Home.aspx.